The 89th Annual General Meeting of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to add two new teams from the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) i.e from 2022. As a result, there will be no mega auctions leading to the 2021 edition of the cash-rich league.
Meanwhile, reports had emerged that Sourav Ganguly & Co will add a couple of teams in IPL from the next season. The decision to add new teams in the 2021 IPL which is barely three and a half months away, is perceived to be a hurried one.
Will IPL 2021 auction be mega or mini?
With the active number of COVID-19 cases still growing across India, the BCCI decided against organising a mega-auction ahead of the 2021 season, also keeping in mind that the 2022 edition would see the addition of two new teams. The IPL 2021 auction would hence be a mini-auction like the previous season.
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‘Full auction will not be possible this time because of time constraints and other issues. Rather we will conduct mini-auctions where franchises can bid for a few new players. The dates of the auctions and other things are still to be decided’, a BCCI official told InsideSport.
When will the IPL 2021 auction take place?
The BCCI is yet to take a final call over the dates of the 2021 auction. Though certain rumours afloat in the cricketing fraternity indicate that the bidding-war might take place in the mid of February.
Meanwhile, the auction will be held after the conclusion of India’s domestic T20 competition, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The domestic T20 competition will take place from January 10 to 31. The tournament will act as a scouting platform for franchisees to look at local talent who could be recruited in the following IPL auction.
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Which franchises will benefit from IPL 2021 mini-auction?
Defending champions Mumbai Indians and the finalist Delhi Capitals will be the most benefitted from the mini-auction. This will give these franchises the opportunity to retain their core group of players.
The min-auction, however, could hurt the Chennai Super Kings a lot more than the others considering a huge chunk of their players is expected to part ways ahead of the new season.